BLACK-TAILED GODWIT. 163 



The geographical distribution of the Black -tailed Godwit is almost an 

 exact parallel to that of the Bar-tailed Godwit, except that the former is 

 never found in the Arctic regions. Its reported occurrence in Greenland 

 rests upon most unsatisfactory evidence, but it is a regular summer visitor 

 to the south of Iceland and the Faroes. In Scandinavia it is said occa- 

 sionally to breed as far north as the Arctic circle ; but in West Siberia it 

 has only been found as far north as lat. 60, and in East Siberia it has not 

 occurred north of lat. 55. Like the Bar-tailed Godwit the Black-tailed 

 Godwit may be subdivided into an eastern and a western race; but 

 instead of the areas of distribution of the two forms being continuous 

 in summer, and discontinuous in winter, as in the Bar-tailed Godwit, 

 in its Black-tailed ally exactly the contrary is the case. The western 

 form of the Black-tailed Godwit breeds in Holland, North Germany, 

 Denmark, South Scandinavia, Central and Southern Russia, Western 

 Turkestan, and South-western Siberia, as far east as the valley of the 

 Irtish. So far as is known, no Black-tailed Godwit breeds in the valley 

 of the Obb, or in that of the Yenesay, until we reach the basin of Lake 

 Baikal, where, ranging eastwards throughout the valley of the Amoor, the 

 eastern form of the Black-tailed Godwit breeds. The western form 

 winters in Spain and the basin of the Mediterranean, occasionally 

 straggling in the west as far as the Canaries and Madeira, and in the east 

 as far as Abyssinia, Persia, India, Ceylon, and Burma. The eastern form 

 passes through Mongolia and Japan on migration, and winters in China, 

 the islands of the Malay archipelago, North Australia, and some of the 

 Pacific islands. 



It is not known that there is any difference whatever between the 

 eastern and western form except that of size. The western form varies in 

 length of wing from 9'0 to 7*9 inch, and in length of tarsus from 3'8 to 

 2*8 inch ; whilst the eastern form varies in length of wing from 8'0 to 7'4 

 inch, and in length of tarsus from 2' 5 to 2 '4 inch consequently the two 

 forms must be regarded as only subspecifically distinct, and the eastern 

 form must bear the name of Totanus melanurus melanur aides. 



On the American continent the Black-tailed Godwit is represented by a 

 nearly allied but perfectly distinct species, T. hudsonicus, which may 

 always be distinguished from the Old- World species by having the axillaries 

 and under wing-coverts dark brown instead of white. 



The Black -tailed Godwit migrates from its winter-quarters in Africa 

 to its breeding-grounds in large flocks, sometimes consisting of many 

 hundred individuals. They make their appearance in the south of Spain 

 in February, and the migration lasts until the middle of March. They 

 pass through France in March and April, and arrive in Denmark in 

 April and May. They are again observed passing southwards through 

 Denmark in August and September, and through France in September 



M2 



